Texas and Florida According to the US Census, the first two years of the pandemic saw the largest increase in population by more than 1.5 million residents.

From April 2020 to July 2022, the population of the Lone Star State grew by 884,000, or 3%, while the Sunshine State grew by 707,000, a 3.3% increase. .

During the same period New York and Californiawhich are also among the largest states by population, recorded the largest net decline in residents, each losing more than 500,000 people.

The shifts reflect significant internal migration, fueling a boom in population in the South that could have economic and political ramifications for decades to come.

Experts cite a combination of factors, including the rise of telecommuting, a pandemic of health scares in densely populated urban areas, as well as concerns about housing costs, high taxes and crime for driving the flow of internal migration to the Sun Belt countries.

Texas and Florida recorded the largest population growth in the first two years of the pandemic, while New York and California lost the most net residents

In each state and in the country as a whole, population changes are driven by three factors: total births, total deaths, and net migration, whether domestic or international.

Overall, the US population will increase by 1.8 million between 2020 and 2022, a modest increase of just 0.6% and the two slowest years of population growth in modern history.

But while overall population growth was modest, there were huge regional variations, with the South gaining 2.4 million residents, a 1.9% increase.

Meanwhile, population declines occurred in the Northeast, which lost 569,000, and the Midwest, which lost 198,000 residents.

The population of the West increased by an anemic 155,000, or 0.2%, during this period.

In 2022, the West lost 233,150 residents due to net internal migration, the difference between residents moving into and out of the state, but made up the difference with net international immigration and a natural increase of 154,405.

Among the states, New York lost the most residents, with a decrease of 524,000, while California was second, with a decrease of 509,000.

Meanwhile, the seven states with the largest population gains over two years were in the Sun Belt: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and South Carolina.

Houston is seen in a file photo. From April 2020 to July 2022, Texas’ population grew by 884,000, or 3%, the largest numerical increase of any state

Data from the 2022 census shows significant population growth in the South, while the Northeast and Midwest lost residents. In the West, there was net internal migration, but it still grew slightly

Last year, population growth was concentrated in some areas of the Sun Belt and Mountain West

The map shows the highest marginal state income tax in each state. Texas and Florida are among the states that do not have a state income tax

The Art Deco district of Miami Beach is seen in a file photo. Florida has added 707,000 residents since 2020, a 3.3% increase

Notably, the two top-scoring states, Texas and Florida, are among eight U.S. states that levy no personal income tax, according to Tax fund.

A Poll by Zogby Last year’s survey found that high taxes were by far the top reason New Yorkers considered leaving the state, followed by better job opportunities and the state’s political climate.

In percentage terms, Idaho had the largest two-year increase at 5.4%, followed by Montana (3.6%) and Utah (3.3%).

Florida had the fastest growing population in 2022 alone, with an annual population growth of 1.9%, bringing the total population to 22,244,823.

“While Florida has often been among the states with the highest population growth, this was the first time since 1957 that Florida was the state with the largest percentage increase in population,” said Christy Wilder, a demographer with the Census Bureau’s Population Division. .

New York City, in addition to losing the most residents in two years of the pandemic, also shrank at the fastest rate, down 2.6%.

Illinois had the second-fastest population loss, declining 1.8%, followed by Louisiana (-1.4%), California (-1.3%) and West Virginia (-1%).

Since 2020, New York and California have lost more than half a million people

Manhattan rent prices hit new heights in 2022, forcing many residents to shell out staggering monthly sums for less-than-luxurious digs

In addition to taxes, the high cost of housing is also often cited as a reason for fleeing the states with the most recent population declines.

This was reported by the Deputy Director of External Relations of the California Department of Finance, H. D. Palmer. Sacramento Bee that the Golden State’s shrinking population is a reflection of its ongoing housing affordability crisis.

“If you talk to demographers, they will say that one of the factors is the cost of housing. And this continues to be a difficult issue for the state,” he said.

According to Bee, in Sacramento – where average family income in 2021 was $71,047 – requiring a family to earn about $145,000 to afford the region’s median housing price.

New York, where the average rent is now more than $5,200 a monthlost more residents than any other state between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, many of whom fled a tight set of pandemic restrictions and high taxes for a more business-friendly environment, according to MarketWatch.

In major coastal cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, rising crime rates have also been a factor in prompting residents to consider relocation.

According to NYPD statistics, total index crimes will increase by 22.4% in 2022.

However, the number of murders and shootings decreased significantly during the year. The NYPD reported 433 homicides in 2022, down from 488 the previous year, an 11.3% decrease.

In 2022, the total number of US the population grew by 0.4% after growing by just 0.1% in 2021, the slowest year of growth in the country’s history.

“Last year saw a significant spike in population growth compared to historically low growth in the previous year,” said Wilder, a Census Bureau demographer.

“The recovery in net international migration, combined with the largest annual increase in the total birth rate since 2007, is behind this increase,” she added.